Woody Harrelson

A gifted actor who switched back and forth effortlessly between comedy and drama, Woody Harrelson arrived seemingly out of nowhere, endearing himself to audiences with his portrayal of loveable, but d...
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Actor Woody Harrelson is quietly hoping for a Cheers reunion in a big screen version of the beloved sitcom. The Hunger Games star played dim-witted barman Woody Boyd on the show from 1985 to 1993 and he insists an official cast get together is long overdue.
He tells Britain's Daily Express newspaper, "It's something I get asked about now and again. A lot of people have fond memories of that show and it is still huge around the world.
"It might be fun to get us all back together before we all get too old. Maybe it could be Cheers: The Movie."
Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer and Kirstie Alley all co-starred with Harrelson on the show, set in a bar in Boston, Massachusetts.

Relativity
If there's one thing going to the movies has taught me over the years, it's not to get Christian Bale's bad side. In these exclusive pics from the film Out of the Furnace, Bale looks like he's getting good and ready to kick some teeth in. In the film, Russell Baze (Bale) is a man on a mission, seeking small-town American revenge when his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) goes missing and a local crime lord (a sneering Woody Harrelson) is suspect number one. Out of the Furnace, Scott Cooper's sophomore effort after Crazy Heart, looks to have all the trappings of a great thriller, with the two brothers' relationship remaining the beating heart of a film with revenge on its mind. Who's ready for a slide into the Rust Belt's murky underworld?
Check out these exclusive shots below:
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Relativity
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Actor Woody Harrelson has revealed he was drunk while shooting a pivotal scene in hit 1993 movie Indecent Proposal. The Hunger Games star was experimenting with method acting, which requires actors to stay in character off-camera, but his plans to play a drunk authentically took a turn for the worse.
He says, "There's a scene where I'm supposed to be really smashed (drunk)... and I got smashed. It was the scene where I'm supposed to challenge Robert Redford's character and I was not at my best."
Harrelson explains everyone knew he was drunk and his condition adversely affected his acting.
He continues, "There are those people that act and they need to be whatever it is, but I find the main thing you need to be is relaxed.
"If you're playing something very tense, you need to be relaxed underneath of it. So I wasn't relaxed when I was drunk, I was terrified and I was like, 'There's cameras rolling and I'm smashed, Robert Redford's there'. It was bad."

Relativity Media
Save for its recurring gag about lazy eyes, Free Birds makes it through its 90-minute runtime without so much as a cringe — a rare accomplishment among Hollywood's animated fare lately. Unfortunately, there aren't too many laughs either. The reaction you'll find yourself emitting most often, in fact, will be befuddled gasps. Whatever form of exhalation best represents the question, "What the hell is going on?"
This emotion will hit you fast in an introductory 20-minutes jam-packed with hyperactive absurdity. We meet Reggie (Owen Wilson), an intelligent free range turkey who is ostracized by his rafter for shunning the corn gods and vocalizing a distrust of that infallible farmer. But just a few quick cutaways later, he's sitting pretty at Camp David, having been chosen as the "pardoned turkey" by the President of the United States (one in unmistakable Bill Clinton form, complete with accent, thumb gestures, and a joke about his relationship with a female aide). And mere moments after that, Reggie is kidnapped by renegade fowl Jake (Woody Harrelson), a dutiful dimwit whose plan is to utilize the government's top secret time machine to travel back to the first Thanksgiving and get turkeys off the menu forever.
It's a bonkers enough plot to elicit interest in the first place, and a harmless enough story (if you can really call it a story) to keep you from falling offended throughout. But in committing so exhaustingly to this mania, you'd imagine Free Birds to muster up some better material. And the line this film toes is actually rather frustrating; the humor is just passable enough that you almost root for it. You wish it was better. There aren't many laughs, but the almost-laughs come in large supply. The rivalry between alpha males Jake and 17th century wild turkey Ranger (director Hayward), himself a brawny dolt hoping to protect his flock from the approaching humans, dissolves into Leslie Nielsen-esque shtick, but without any impressive panache. Reggie's budding romance with Jenny (Amy Poehler) offers a few bits of banter that could have, through a rewrite or two, been funny. Smirks are plentiful. Laughs are few.
And maybe this is because the story has no characters. Wilson, Harrelson, Poehler, and their legion of backup players trek along with this harebrained script, spouting nonsense verse as the peculiarities ebb and flow. But there's no evolution for Reggie, who identifies himself as a "lone wolf" but falls hard for Jenny at first sight. There's no true trajectory for Jake, who claims to be haunted by his childhood but is never fleshed out beyond sight gags. There is no lesson to be learned, message to be imparted, or real conclusion to be reached beyond the obvious narrative point to which the turkeys' actions ultimately lead. Free Birds is just a bunch of kooky things going on for an hour and a half, to no real end. But if you want to wean your children into Naked Gun humor, this might be a harmless place to begin.
2.5/5
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WENN.comIt now seems difficult to imagine anyone other than Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in the lead roles of The Hunger Games. But due to the phenomenal success of the novels, the majority of the cast faced super-tough competition to land a part in the film. Here's a look at five characters who in an alternate universe would have been played by somebody completely different.Katniss EverdeenAround 50 actors reportedly auditioned for the series' hero, the most high-profile of which were Abigail Breslin, Chloe Grace Moretz, Hailee Steinfeld and Emily Browning. The last of these shares something in common with J-Law: both actresses had previously missed out on the role of Bella in Twilight.Peeta MellarkAmerican Horror Story's Evan Peters, X-Men: First Class' Lucas Till and Magic Mike's Alex Pettyfer were all in contention for the male lead, as were Liam Hemsworth and Alexander Ludwig, both of whom of course went onto play Gale and Cato respectively.Gale HawthorneHad Miley Cyrus' ex been cast as Peeta instead, then Arrow star Robbie Amell, Disney Channel graduate David Henrie and former Hannah Montana regular Drew Roy would all have been poised to take his place.Haymitch AbernathyAccording to various sources, John C. Reilly was in the frame to play the middle-aged victor of the 50th Hunger Games until Woody Harrelson was selected ahead of his fellow Oscar nominee at the last minute.Finnick OdairDespite publicly professing his love for the series, Glee actor Grant Gustin missed out on the role of District 4 tribute Finnick Odair, who will first be seen onscreen in Catching Fire, to Pirates Of The Caribbean star Sam Claflin.
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Lionsgate
While you might be eagerly awaiting the release of Catching Fire, it’s admittedly been some time since the first Hunger Games movie hit the big screen. Here’s a refresher in case you forgot some of the action from the first film:
KatnissOur protagonist is Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who takes her sister’s place as tribute in the Hunger Games. She’s really good at archery and side braids and really bad at dealing with emotions and cute boys.
The DistrictsEvery district sends two tributes into the Hunger Games, one boy and one girl. Some districts are more wealthy than others, but Katniss and Peeta come from the district of hard knocks, District 12.
Team Peeta vs. Team GalePeeta (Josh Hutcherson) is the other competitor from District 12, who has a wicked crush on Katniss. Gale (Liam Hemsworth) is Katniss’ longtime companion, best friend, and hunting buddy. He might also be looking for a little more than friendship from Katniss.
The Helpers Katniss and Peeta aren’t entirely on their own in the games. They have drunken mentor Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), bubbly and bedecked Effie (Elizabeth Banks), and personal stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz).
The GamesEvery year two tributes between the ages of 12 and 18 are taken from each district to compete in a fight to the death, with only one survivor winning. The games take place in an arena controlled by the Capitol and are broadcast to the whole population, which watches with rapt attention.
The RuseWith only Katniss and Peeta left standing, it was obvious one of them had to die in order for the games to be complete. So the two threatened to eat poison berries and kill themselves, forcing the Capitol to declare them both victors. To explain undermining the game, the two must pretend to be in love, which might not be hard as it seems since there are some real feelings developing.
President SnowThe evil ruler of the Capitol, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) certainly didn’t like it when Katniss and Peeta ruined the games.
Now you should be refreshed enough to jump into Catching Fire!
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The latest 3D animated film from Jimmy Hayward, the director behind Horton Hears a Who! and animator of beloved classics including Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. is Free Birds, an adventurous comedy about two turkeys from opposite sides of the track. Staring three of Hollywood's comedic legends - Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler and Woody Harrelson - Free Birds tells the story of turkeys who must put aside their differences in order to travel back in time to prevent turkey from becoming the traditional Thanksgiving dish. In honor of this historic journey, we're hosting a giveaway!
One lucky reader will receive a $250 American Express gift card! With Black Friday just around the corner, what better prize could you ask for?
It's SUPER easy to enter, all you have to do is...
1. Follow Hollywood.com on Twitter at @Hollywood_com starting Tuesday, October 29, at 12 PM ET.2. Retweet: "RT and FOLLOW to win a $250 AMEX Giftcard in our #FreeBirdsGiveaway http://hllywd.co/1g9oikB"The contest runs from 12 PM ET Tuesday, October 29 until 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, November 1. Check out the official rules on the next page… Good Luck!
Free Birds opens in theaters November 1, 2013.

In the second glimpse of HBO's new drama True Detective, things get real dark real quick.
The series follows the entangled lives of Louisiana detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) throughout a 17-year hunt for a killer. If the premise isn't enough to convince you that the show is shaping up to be one of the most promising entries of the season, then the eary images throughout the trailer should do the trick. Filled with scenes of muddy wetlands, endless dirt roads, and the ever present smoke from Cohle's cigarettes, the trailer shows us what kind of uneasy feeling is going to be creeping through our bodies while we watch the two detectives figure out who the bad guys are, and if they can even consider themselves the good ones.
But don't worry — it's not all murder and sadness; there are few glimmers of light in all of the grey. During one of the car scenes Cohle admits, "I'm what's called a pessimist. It means I'm bad at parties," to which Hart responds, "You aint great outside of parties, either." With McConaughey and Harrelson at the helm of this show, we're pretty sure that True Detective is going to blast some of this season's dramas out of the water.
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True Detective premieres on Jan. 12 on HBO at 9 PM.
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"You know what's funny? Nobody asks me, 'How does Javier (Bardem) kiss?' or Nicolas Cage. Everybody wants to know about Woody Harrelson. Now his head is gonna be huge, I can't stand it. He kissed real good at the time." Rosie Perez confesses her White Men Can't Jump co-star is the leading man fans ask her about the most.

Reel FX/Relativity Media
Over the past few years we've seen the pop culture world lose a few points in originalities. With a surplus of sequels, remakes, adaptations, and whatever a "reimagining" is, we've been left wanting for original stories. But this movie season looks to satisfy our craving for the unknown. Just this past weekend, we saw Gravity — a film consistently heralded as "unlike anything we've ever seen" — break a slew of box office records. And hot on the space epic's tail is another sci-fi feature bearing a wild new lens: Free Birds, the very first animated movie about turkeys who use the resources of the White House to travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving and retcon the tradition of consuming their brethren on the annual November holiday. At least, the very first that I know of.
In addition to the appeal of a premise so peculiar, we have the vocal talents of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson as the continuum-bending poultry. Wilson plays Reggie, a farm-raised fowl who is adopted by the First Family and spoiled to complacency until he is apprehended by Jake, a dutiful wild bird who vies to travel back in time and save the turkey race for good.
Reel FX/Relativity Media
Reel FX/Relativity Media
The film also boasts a wide array of impressive supporting stars, including Amy Poehler as 17th century turkey Jenny, Colm Meany as English military officer Myles Standish, and George Takei as a mysterious entity known as S.T.E.V.E..
Catch Free Birds, co-written and directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!) when it hits theaters on Nov. 1.
Reel FX/Relativity Media
More:How Brooding with Noah Baumbach's Animated 'Flawed Dogs' Be?Man Attempts to Cross Atlantic via Balloons, Just Like in 'Up'Every Pixar Movie Has a Non-Pixar Equivalent
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From Our Partners:A Complete History Of Twerking (1993-2013) (Vh1)15 Stars Share Secrets of their Sex Lives (Celebuzz)

Title

Acted on stage opposite Nick Nolte and Sean Penn in "The Late Henry Moss" written by Sam Shepard

Portrayed a 1940s rancher in the contemporary Western "The Hi-Lo Country"

Placed in a school for children with behavioral problems; became deeply religious like his mother

Played Jennifer Aniston's yogurt mogul ex-boyfriend in the comedy "Management"

Had a high-profile cameo as Sergeant Keck in Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line"

Reprised character of Woody Boyd on an episode of "Frasier"; earned Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominated for the 2009 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ("The Messenger")

Featured in the heist hit "Now You See Me"

Cast as former Tribute Haymitch Abernathy in feature adaptation of popular novel "The Hunger Games"

Nominated for the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role ("The Messenger")

Nominated for the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture ("The Messenger")

Earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his superb turn as magazine publisher Larry Flynt in "The People vs. Larry Flynt"; Stone was one of the producers

Nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role ("The Messenger")

Reportedly had 17 jobs in one year

TV series debut as Woody Boyd on "Cheers" (NBC); received five consecutive Emmy Award nominations (1987-1991) and won in 1989

Wrote, directed and acted in Los Angeles stage production "Furthest From the Sun"

Moved to NYC after graduating from college

TV-movie debut, "Bay Coven" (NBC)

Film debut, "Wildcats" opposite Goldie Hawn; first film with Wesley Snipes who also made his film debut

Starred as a Los Angeles veteran police officer in the action drama "Rampart"; script co-written by James Ellroy

Starred opposite Snipes in Ron Shelton's "White Men Can't Jump"

First notable role in a theatrical feature, "Doc Hollywood"

Dropped by agent after becoming belligerent following an unsuccessful soap opera audition

Reteamed with Snipes for the disappointing "Money Train"

Co-starred with Demi Moore and Robert Redford in "Indecent Proposal"

Reprised his role as Haymitch in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Cast as one half of the murderous honeymoon team (with Juliette Lewis) in Oliver Stone's controversial "Natural Born Killers"

Returned to Broadway as star of a revival of "The Rainmaker"

Mounted his own play "2 on 2" (on the subject of basketball) with Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story" in Hollywood

Moved with mother and brothers to Lebanon, OH

Played an idealistic lawyer in "North Country," a fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States

Co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem in the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men"

Deemed dyslexic, hyperactive and psychologically disturbed as a child

Dropped as grand marshall of the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade and canned as a spokesman for the Miller Brewing Company for speaking out against the Gulf War

Cast opposite Will Ferrell in the 1970s-era sports comedy "Semi-Pro"

Formed own production company, Shepwood Productions

Co-starred in Roland Emmerich's disaster film "2012"

Had supporting roles in "Welcome to Sarajevo" and "Wag the Dog"

Starred in "A Scanner Darkly" a rotoscoped film by director Richard Linklater; adapted from the novel by Philip K. Dick

Directed a revival of his stage play "Furthest From the Sun," starring Steve Guttenberg

Appeared as a blind pianist who befriends Will Smith's character in "Seven Pounds"

Cast in Robert Altman's ensemble feature "A Prairie Home Companion," based on Garrison Keilor's radio program

Understudied two roles, Roy Selridge and Joseph Wykowski, in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues"

Cast opposite Julianne Moore in "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio," about a single mom who enters a commercial jingle-writing contest to support her ten children

Born in Midland, TX

Played the lead antagonist in "Out of the Furnace"

Co-starred with Ben Foster and Samantha Morton in the drama "The Messenger"; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor

Appeared in more than 25 plays at Hanover College

Acted in a four-episode story arc on "Will & Grace" (NBC), playing a love interest for Debra Messing's Grace

Cast in ensemble crime comedy "Seven Psychopaths"

Began drinking heavily and getting into fights

Co-starred in the action comedy "Zombieland"

Father released after his sentence was reduced

Appeared opposite Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in "Anger Management" as Galaxia/Garry the Guard

Cast in the Spike Lee comedy "She Hate Me"

Father sentenced to life imprisonment for the contract killing of a federal judge while Harrelson was in college

Co-starred with Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek in "After the Sunset"

Father sent to prison for a contract killing

Appeared off-Broadway in "The Boys Next Door"

Summary

A gifted actor who switched back and forth effortlessly between comedy and drama, Woody Harrelson arrived seemingly out of nowhere, endearing himself to audiences with his portrayal of loveable, but dimwitted bartender Woody Boyd for eight seasons of the classic sitcom, "Cheers" (NBC, 1982-1993). Because of his small screen success, he transitioned effortlessly to features where he became a highly sought-after actor capable of turning in rich and diverse performances. After making his mark as a basketball hustler in the surprise hit "White Men Can't Jump" (1992), Harrelson forever buried his nice guy persona by playing the sociopathic serial murderer Mickey Knox in Oliver Stone's searing satire, "Natural Born Killers" (1994). Harrelson went on to further acclaim and earned an Oscar nomination playing infamous pornographer and First Amendment rights activist Larry Flynt in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (1996). From there, he stayed mostly in independent films, playing a drunken louse of a husband in "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" (2005) and a strung-out addict in "A Scanner Darkly" (2006). Following an amiable turn as an unflinching zombie hunter in "Zombieland" (2009), Harrelson delivered another Oscar-worthy performance in the heart-wrenching Iraq War drama, "The Messenger" (2009). Regardless of how big or small the part, Harrelson was able to portray a wide array of challenging and complex characters with equal aplomb.

Born July 23, 1938; Abandoned his wife and three sons when Woody was 7 years old; Believed by Harrelson to be a CIA operative; long thought to be one of "the hobos" taken away from the grassy knoll right after the shooting of President Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963; Convicted of murder in May 1979 for the killing of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. outside his San Antonio home; Died March 15, 2007 of a heart attack at the Supermax federal prison in Florence, CO where he was serving two life sentences

Louie worked as Harrelson's assistant for over two years (1987-90) before becoming romantically involved; Co-founded Yoganics, an organic food home delivery service in 1996; partner in their production company, Children at Play; Married Jan. 11, 1998 in a non-legal ceremony in Costa Rica; Legally wed on Dec. 28, 2008 on the island of Maui, HI

Daughter of playwright Neil Simon; whimsically married in Tijuana, Mexico on June 29, 1985 intending to divorce the following day; when the couple returned to the storefront marriage/divorce parlor, they found it closed because it was a Sunday; Divorced on Jan. 20, 1986; Harrelson later told USAToday's Tom Green, "We had to get a summary dissolution through Jacoby and Meyers. I think at the time Neil was a little bit worried I might try to go after her money"

Education

Name

Lebanon High School

Hanover College

Hanover College

Notes

Harrelson moonlighted as the lead singer and composer for a ten-piece "blues-a-billy" band, Manly Moondog and the Three Kool Kats, during the early 1990s.

Harrelson was a partner in Sun International, a merchandizing company specializing in beach accessories.

"Even now, ten years into his career, Woody Harrelson comes with a good deal less packaging than the average multimillion-a-picture movie star. When he spoke out against the Gulf War in 1991, he not only got dropped as the grand marshal of the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade but was canned as a spokesman for the Miller Brewing Company. Now, with his advocacy of industrial hemp and his embrace of New Age spiritualism, there's a very real possibility that he'll inherit the title of Ultimate Hollywood Flake from Shirley MacLaine. The question is, who's handling this guy?" – from "Karma Chameleon" by Rob Buchanan, Premiere, October 1995

In 1996, Harrelson withheld $10,000 of his 1995 federal income taxes to protest the government's environmental policies that use tax dollars "to desecrate nature."

Harrelson was an investor in the Hempstead Company of Costa Mesa, CA, which promoted the use of industrial hemp for the manufacture of clothing, luggage, etc. He also ingested a daily dose of hemp oil for medicinal purposes, in addition to still puffing on the "ganja," although he has said, "I don't like to push it so hard. I still like to have a rockin' good time, but I don't like to inflict permanent damage." – quoted in Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 10, 1999

In November 1996, along with eight other environmental activists, Harrelson scaled San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to hang a banner protesting the logging of the ancient redwood wilderness at the Headwaters Complex. Arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of trespassing and one misdemeanor count of failing to respond to a peace officer's request, he received a sentence of 25 hours of community service teaching youngsters about environmental hazards.

In June 1996, Harrelson planted four seeds (five seeds would have turned a misdemeanor charge into a felony) of industrial hemp, challenging the constitutionality of a Kentucky state law that lumps industrial hemp with marijuana; since then, two court cases have deemed the law unconstitutional; Harrelson was actively involved in the effort to legalize the growing of industrial hemp, an environmentally-friendly cash crop which could take the pressure off American forests providing paper, as well as being a source for high-protein food, clothing, machine oils, etc. In March 2000, however, the Kentucky Supreme Court overturned the lower court findings meaning that the actor would have to stand trial. A jury dismissed the charges in August.

"I just want to keep going around and telling people about these things. Looking at what's going on in the world, the nuclear, timber, the petroleum industries, we're seeing these things are not sustainable. What we need is a progressive leader." – Harrelson quoted to Herald Tribune, Jan. 30. 2004

"I wasn't appreciating being an actor. And that's a dangerous place to be because it's a job almost everyone in the world would want." – Harrelson on why he took a break from acting, to Entertainment Weekly, Nov. 5, 2004

"Marriage and monogamy are kind of interesting. If you look at animals, some mate for life and some don't. Dogs and dolphins don't seem to think much about monogamy, and I've always tended to side with them." – Harrelson quoted in Playboy magazine, October 2009